Thesis: The French governments during the revolution are sculptured by the nation's deficit and the radical's actions that constantly escalates into unprecedented dilemmas that forces governments to retaliate with force .
Both Ends of the Spectrum and Everything in Between
Governments existed for as far as we could recall, in all shapes and form that lay along the political spectrum that ranges from absolute authority to anarchy. Never before in the history man had all of the types political systems had been witnessed in action in a single pivotal event. That event, ladies and gentlemen, is the French Revolution of 1789...
The Debacle of Debt and Danger
As the interest payments piled up, the French government is on the verge of collapse and in a desperate attempt to prolong the inevitable, Louis called up the Assembly of Notables to discuss an increased tax payment for the nobles. Soon, the Estate General was called up to agree to the new tax structure that was based on property one owned, but failed to do so due to the masses of noble bureaucracy that had vetoed their claims in order to retain their perks. Enraged, the king dismissed the Estate General, which in that act of passion, the Estates General met in a nearby tennis court and vowed to establish a constitution for France. This event is coined as the Tennis Court Oath.
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| The painting portraying the Tennis Court Oath by Jacques Louis David, a prominent painter and an avid supporter of the revolution. |
Le Grand Peur
The Estates General proclaimed themselves as the National Assembly and ordered a parliament called the National Convention to be set up. Composed of mainly the bourgeois, the National Assembly bargained a fair deal with the king and for them, the revolution was over. Yet once again, the peasants were ignored and could no longer endure such a condition. The peasant demanded reforms to improve their lives, and therefore, they ushered a series of riots beginning from storming the Bastille, an attempt to destroy the symbol of tyranny. These events revved of the engines of the revolution as it sets off widespread riot in the nation as peasants harnessed the power of the masses. France is left in a state of anarchy where mob mentality reigned over rationality, giving this period its name: the Great Fear. As witnessed in history, anarchy never lasts, for soon, in desperation, the people begged for anyone to grab the reigns of power and restore order in the society. Often times, it is the ones who spurred the anarchy itself who filled the power vacuum. In this case, it was the Jacobins, an assembly of radicals led by Maximilien Robespierre (a synopsis of Robespierre is available in the previous blog entry) of the Committee of Public Safety. In 1793, the Convention, unable to quell the riots handed authority to the Public Safety Committee. Robespierre became the despot of France who was loathed for his policy of massacres of those he claims to impede the progress of the revolution. By passing legislations that justified and lubricated Robespierre's executions, anyone could be dragged into the gallows. This period is called the Reign of Terror. Here, power resides in Robespierre and his 12-man party of dictators. After over 14,000 decapitated, Robespierre loses his support and was executed, ending the Reign of Terror.
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| A portrait showing the storming of the Bastille. |
Rise of The Radicals
As witnessed in history, anarchy never lasts, for soon, in desperation, the people begged for anyone to grab the reigns of power and restore order in the society. Often times, it is the ones who spurred the anarchy itself who filled the power vacuum. In this case, it was the Jacobins, an assembly of radicals led by Maximilien Robespierre (a synopsis of Robespierre is available in the previous blog entry) of the Committee of Public Safety. In 1793, the Convention, unable to quell the riots handed authority to the Public Safety Committee. Robespierre became the despot of France who was loathed for his policy of massacres of those he claims to impede the progress of the revolution. By passing legislations that justified and lubricated Robespierre's executions, anyone could be dragged into the gallows. This period is called the Reign of Terror. Here, power resides in Robespierre and his 12-man party of dictators. After over 14,000 decapitated, Robespierre loses his support and was executed, ending the Reign of Terror.
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| A British cartoon from the period that portrayed the Sans-Culottes, "relaxing after the fatigues of their day". In this cartoon the cartoonists portrayed the radicals as cannibals, for he is repulsed by their massacres for the revolutionary cause. |
After the King's attempt to flee to Austria was thwarted, the royal couple's fate is in jeopardy. The Austrian Duke of Brunswick, a relative to the queen, issued an ultimatum to the French called the Declaration of Pilnitz, which warns the revolutionaries not to harm the royal family or they would find themselves at war with the Austrians. This only served to anger the Frenchmen. The San-Culottes, manipulated by the Jacobins, were convinced to attack the Tuileries Palace where the king was staying. The king managed to escape the attack, and went to the National Assembly to ask for protection. The National Assembly decided to give him a trial, in which he was announced guilty and sent to the guillotine. The king’s execution angered almost every nation in Europe, and the Prussians and the Austrians joined forces to fight France. With the Levee en Masse in place, France had plenty of men. Although the nation sacrificed a lot of soldiers, they managed to fight off the attacks from both countries. France collapsed the First Coalition, and gained territory all over Europe, including Batavian Republic, which became a satellite nation. Now, only Britain was left standing as an enemy of France. The Austrians’ intervention had triggered a series of events that would eventually to the rise of Napoleon, great Emperor of France.
Autocracy Returns
Fed up with the radicals, the French appointed the moderate Directory as the government, although ironically, its a 5-man oligarchy. Meanwhile, an audacious artillery officer called Napoleon Bonaparte (a synopsis of Napoleon is available in the previous blog entry) masses his army to take down this very government. A war hero, Napoleon rallied support for his cause and successfully staged a coup against the Directory, removing them from power. Napoleon proclaimed himself as the emperor of France, thus returning the nation into its original state of autocracy. However, Napoleon does not stop here, he waged a series of war called the Napoleonic Wars to expand the French Empire. In 1815, his ambitious campaign came to an abrupt end when he was sent into exile. Napoleon had brought France and Europe into the point of no return where the ideas of the revolution are diffused throughout Europe as it spreads like cancer that will soon bring forth an end to European monarchies.
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